Chapter 8 A happy beginning

Life on the ship became more adventurous with each passing day. According to my calculations, I had been on the ship for four months. I had fully integrated into the crew and had long forgotten about my initial plan to go to California in search of my dad. Jules and I grew closer, while Phil gradually became my closest friend. He reminded me of Noxo, and I missed my two best friends, Anika and Noxo, more with each passing day. Undoubtedly, they would have gone to college. I felt sad that I wouldn't be able to join them. Lost in my thoughts, a hand gently touched my shoulder.

I turned to see Jules sitting on a barrel next to me.

"You've been lost in thought for the past few days. What's wrong?" Jules said slowly.

"Nothing much. I'm just missing home," I said, avoiding his gaze. I felt like he could read my thoughts through my eyes.

"Homesick, huh? It happens. You never told me where you came from and where you planned to go when you boarded the ship," Jules said, still gazing at me. He wanted me to open up about my past.

Many thoughts raced through my mind. If I told him about my past, I would also have to reveal that I had murdered my stepdad and was a runaway criminal. If the captain found out, he would definitely throw me off the ship. No one would want to associate with a criminal.

"Keeping silent isn't an answer. You have to tell, or I'll keep asking," Jules insisted.

I had to tell him but decided not to reveal everything. "I'm from the Xhosa tribe in South Africa. After my parents' divorce, I stayed with my mom and stepdad. My stepdad was cruel to both of us. I lost my mom and unborn sibling because of him. He killed them, but karma caught up with him, and he died in an accident. I was left alone. My mom had told me that my dad was in California, so I decided to go there and find him. I didn't have much money, which is why I decided to board this ship and find my way wherever I ended up."

"I'm sure you know that our ship will land on the shores of Puerto Rico," Jules said.

"Puerto Rico? Where's that? Is it far from California?" I asked, wondering if I had veered far away from my intended destination.

"It's far but relatively close. You'll be in the United States, and from there, you can easily make your way to California," Jules replied.

"I'm sorry you've been through so much," Jules said, comforting me in his arms. "You've never told me about your family," I finally looked at Jules and asked.

He let out a gentle sigh and said, "I'm an orphan. I was adopted by an elderly couple who provided me with an education. They wanted me to become a doctor, so they sent me to medical school. I graduated and started working, but I never loved my job. One day, I took a day off and went to the ports to watch the ships. That's where I met the captain. I helped him bring the ship ashore, and he invited me to join him. I had always wanted to be a sailor, but my parents refused. One night, I left, making sure to keep enough money to sustain them, and joined the captain. I haven't been home ever since."

I felt sad for him. At least he had a family who loved him, but he chose to leave them behind. "Why haven't you gone to see them? Don't you miss them?" I asked.

"I miss

them every day, but I can't seem to bring myself to go back. This ship has been my home for ten years now. Going back would prevent me from returning to the ship. I'm sure they're safe since they have other relatives there. My foster siblings are also there. After my adoption, they went on to adopt five more children," Jules said casually, avoiding my gaze.

"If you say so. At least you have someone you can call family. For me, I have no idea where my dad is," I said sadly. I wondered if I would remain on the ship and give up on finding my dad.

"Don't worry, you'll find him, and I'm going to help you with that," he held my hand tightly. "After all, I'll need his permission to marry his daughter," he said, smiling.

I couldn't help but blush at what he said. At that moment, I forgot all about Zuko. A voice in my head told me that Zuko wouldn't come back, and I should accept Jules. But another voice reminded me of all the things he did and his broken promises.

For some reason, Lucas had been acting strangely for the past few days. He would often stare at me and be extremely polite. The captain also noticed it when Lucas offered to help me clean the cabins. He did all the work for a whole month, which made the captain suspicious. When the captain asked him about the reason for his sudden kindness, he simply replied that he was just helping. The captain's words shocked me, "Cleaning, you say? Hmmm, it seems you desire something beyond your reach. Be careful not to get on Jules' bad side," the captain said sternly, while a grin appeared on Lucas' face. I didn't understand what he meant until one day when Jules and the captain were out fishing on the deck, and Phil and Derrick were cleaning the storage cabins. Lucas had volunteered to help me arrange the barrels in the lower cabin. It took a while before I noticed that he often gazed at me when I wasn't looking. It made me feel uncomfortable, and I tried to ignore it. However, he crossed the line when he gently placed his hand around my waist and demanded a kiss.

I pushed him away gently and said, "Stop that, Lucas. What's wrong with you?"

"Yes, something is wrong with me, and you're the reason. You drive me crazy, and I can't stop thinking about you," he held me again, and this time, I couldn't push him away.

"Let go of me!" I shouted.

"Please don't shout. I don't want to hurt you. Just comply, and I promise you won't have to do any work on the ship again," he said forcefully, trying to kiss me.

I swiftly kicked him in the groin, and as he shrieked in pain, I ran away. I could hear him cursing me under his breath. I ran to the deck towards Jules, but Lucas dragged me back. Fortunately, Jules had noticed what was happening and came to my rescue. He dragged Lucas away from me and held him by the collar.

"How dare you touch her?" Jules said with rage, while Lucas angrily looked at me.

"How dare me?" Lucas let out a chuckle. "You've forgotten the rules of the ship since the day you met her. Everyone knows that a woman on the ship belongs to everyone, and we are entitled to spend the night with her anytime we want. You had your chance and have been keeping her away from us. Phil and Derrick might not care, but I won't let it slide," Lucas said, surprising me with his words.

"She's different, and she

's mine," Jules replied angrily.

Lucas laughed. "She's yours? What about Avira? She was mine. You guys didn't leave her for me. I admit she was promiscuous, but I didn't want to share her. Especially you, you took her from me, and now you refuse me yours," Lucas replied angrily and released his grip on his collar.

"For the last time, Avira came to me, not the other way around. And if she were yours, she wouldn't have agreed. In this case, neither I nor Akhona agrees," Jules said firmly.

"We'll see about that," Lucas said and walked towards me, while fear gripped me. The captain told me to remain calm, while Jules dragged Lucas back and punched him in the face. A heavy fight broke out between them, attracting the attention of the others. They tried to separate them but got hit in the process. My heart sank as a heavy blow landed on Jules' face, and he fell down, bleeding. I ran to him and tried to wake him up, but Lucas dragged me away. Despite the efforts of the captain and the others, Lucas managed to take me to his cabin and locked the door. He threw me on the bed and held me down.

"What do you see in him anyway? Am I not good enough for you?" he asked angrily, squeezing my hand on the bed.

"Let go of me, you fool! You're hurting me," I said, trying to get up.

"Stay put. I will hurt you more than you can imagine for hurting me," he said finally, ripping off my clothes. He undressed himself while I struggled to break free. I could hear the banging on the door as the others tried to break it down. I could hear Jules' voice as he tried to open the door, but he was too late. The door was finally destroyed, and in the chaos, I felt a sharp knife pierce my side. A grin appeared on Lucas' face as he got what he wanted. The next thing I knew, Lucas was thrown to the ground by Jules, while I quickly covered myself and wiped away my tears. My teary eyes met Jules' eyes, full of rage. He couldn't bear seeing tears in my eyes, and the next thing I knew, he dragged Lucas up and smashed his head against the wall. Lucas began bleeding from the nose but was still breathing. The others got scared, realizing what Jules was about to do, as he brought out his knife and stabbed Lucas. Fear gripped me as Lucas fell to the floor, dead.

"Are you alright?" Jules slowly said, moving his hand to my face, but I remained still, staring at Lucas' lifeless body. I was still traumatized by what had happened and couldn't say anything. Jules hugged me tightly. "Please don't let that bother you. It had to be done. I just want you to be safe, that's all, and I will do anything to keep you safe," he finally said and kissed me. I wasn't angry, and I wasn't going to reprimand him for his actions. He did it because he wanted to protect me, just like how I did for my mom. I had killed my stepdad because he killed my mom, and Jules simply did the same thing. Indeed, love was dangerous. It made the lover do things they wouldn't normally do. It didn't matter who or what you were in love with, whether it was your mom or a girl; the urge to protect them would always be powerful.

Everyone remained silent for a while until the captain broke the silence and asked Derrick and Phil to take the body and throw

it into the sea. He told me to clean myself and then left. I finally looked at Jules and noticed the pain in his eyes. He had killed a man for me, and despite the situation, it didn't feel right. I felt as if I had brought chaos onto the ship.

"I'm sorry, Jules. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want you to kill anyone," I said, my voice trembling.

"It's not your fault, Akhona. You didn't ask for any of this. I did what I had to do to protect you. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you," Jules replied, holding me tightly.

We remained in each other's arms, both shaken by the events that unfolded. Our lives on the ship had taken a dark turn, and it was unclear what the future held for us. But in that moment, we found solace and strength in each other's embrace, hoping to find a way to move forward and heal from the scars of the past.